Hum of Hushed Voices

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced Suspense!
Review:

Ms. Young's first novel is a fast-paced suspense that the reader will thoroughly enjoy. In my opinion Hum of Hushed Voices is so masterfully written it rivals any book of this genre by mainstream authors. Her descriptive style definitely shows the reader what is happening instead of telling them. One example I will use is the scene of Darby wounded and bleeding in the Jacuzzi. This scene was so vivid, I could feel the pain from Darby's concussion.

Patrolman Darby Jacobs and Detective Justin Weissman are two characters I hope to see again. Their comaderie and perseverance for the truth in the murder of psychologist Vince Edwards, leads them down several false paths, but eventually they uncover the truth.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting new Author scores hit!!!
Review: I was persuaded to read this novel after talking to the author. I would like to state here that I benefited highly from that decision. Lisa Young has delivered a powerful novel that is fast pace and interesting. Her style of writing is a breath of fresh air and this novel demonstrates her capacity as a great author.

The main character in this story is a young rookie patrol officer named Darby Jacobs. She is currently on leave when she hears about a suicide over her scanner in her house. The address brings back what will become a wave of memories as she attempts to discover who killed the person that treated her years ago so many year. His death had been made a charade of a suicide. However, Darby just knows from her own relationship with him, that he was never the type to have killed himself. Not willing to permit this injustice, she decides that it is on her shoulders to prove him a victim of murder instead of suicide. She is especially determined when the superior officer release the crime scene so shortly after without investigating all leads.

Refusing the warning of superiors to stay away, she starts her own quest in search of the truth. The path she has to travel reveals more than she sometimes wishes to know in her hunt for the truth. Eventually, the truth comes, but not after many different possibilities are pursued and discarded. As this whodunit uncovers the life of the victim in search of the killer, there are surprises at every turn that leaves you begging for more when the guilty party is finally revealed.

The story draws you end and you start feeling that you are right there with the characters as they reflect on their past while discovering who is the murder and the motives behind it. I hope that the story continues on as I came to want more out of Darby and Justin while watching Don tackle his own personal demons. Lisa, don't make us suffer and get a sequel out soon!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Don't keep this hushed!
Review: When I finished reading Hum of Hushed Voices, I emailed Lisa Young and called her a dirty rat for introducing me to her characters, teasing me with so many juicy tidbits about the complexities of their pasts, and then ending the book without telling me everything that happens to all of them. Even the peripheral characters in this book are intriguing! I may have to go visit the author and clean house for her so she'll have more time to work on her sequels!

Hum of Hushed Voices investigates the murder-made-to-look-like-suicide of a popular doctor at a mental health center. The three main characters are rookie officer Darby Jacobs, involved in the case only because--unknown to everyone--the dead doctor was her therapist years ago; Detective Justin Weissman, whose investigation is hampered by his attraction to Darby that's hampered by his annoying ethics; and Detective Sergeant Don Salington, their arrogant superior who taunts Darby with secrets of their shared past but can't get her memory out of his head no matter how many other women he's with. Amidst all these delicious undertones, they manage to gather evidence from the "Peyton Place" of the victim's family and co-workers, and when they finally decide who the killer is, it puts all three of them in danger.

Ms. Young's writing style and attention to detail grab you from the beginning and smack you down right in the middle of the characters' lives. Her ability to seamlessly insert descriptions of the characters and all their nuances into the action is done so flawlessly that I had vivid mental images of them instantly. You don't just read the story, you live it right along with the characters. The plot is wonderfully complex and keeps the old gray matter earning its pay as you try to figure out if you're on the right track to whodunit or if you've been expertly suckered by one of the author's innovative deceptions. This is a book that will trigger varied emotions and reactions--anger, sympathy, fondness, disgust, tears, and laughter--and don't forget outrage and impatience at Ms. Young's failure to have the sequel written yet.

So tell everyone you know to buy and read this book so the author can quit her other job and write full time. You'll be doing the literary world a favor.